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If, like me, you have twenty-something children you will be keenly aware of their constant need to be connected through one device or another and to keep up-to-date with their social networks.

This behaviour has coined a new demographic cohort - Gen C where 'C' is for content. Unlike Gen X and Y which are age-related, Gen C is much more about attitude and mindset and involves constant connection and social interaction. Research has shown that 91 per cent of Gen C sleep next to their smartphone to make sure they don't miss an important tweet or Facebook post, 88 per cent have a social profile and 65 per cent of Gen C update their profile daily.

From a business perspective there are important insights about Gen C that help understand their buying behaviour. 85 per cent of Gen C relies on peer approvals for their buying decisions, which means positive feedback from clients on social networks and strong reviews on relevant websites are important to drive sales amongst this group. With Gen C estimated to influence $500bn of spending in the US, this online word-of-mouth is critical.

Gen C also has a strong desire for immediacy. The reason they sleep with smartphones is so they can react and respond to content as it comes through. When Gen C is looking at a purchase decision they want immediate facts, opinions and reviews. They reach out to their social network, look for comparative prices on their smartphone and read third-party opinions on brands and products. Only when they have found some positive commentary from a member of their network or a trusted outsider will they go ahead and make the purchase.

Allied to the higher expectations and different buying process of Gen C, it is harder for businesses to connect with Gen C despite their own high levels of connectedness. The reason behind this is media fragmentation; it's no longer the case that traditional media will guarantee access to an audience. While Gen C does watch TV, it is 40 per cent more likely than the general population to be a light TV viewer and it is twice as likely to be a YouTube viewer.

Businesses that want to connect to Gen C need to be in the same places they are - on social networks, YouTube and Twitter for example. It's not easy but it can be done with time and effort and brands can be built through these channels. Businesses need to build their online presence through their website, Facebook page and Twitter as well as third party sites relevant to their industry. Once built, the online channels have to be managed and constantly updated to build the sense of engagement with their audience. Making it easy for Gen C to connect to you, and easy for them to provide feedback is just as critical as your speed of response to their feedback.

So have you developed your online presence beyond a company website? If your client base or prospective client base includes a large proportion of Gen C you should be considering how you can engage these customers by creating relevant content and offers and building social channels to deliver the content and respond to feedback. Given the continued growth in the number of connected consumers can you afford not to engage with them?

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